Some of you might know that I don’t make New Years resolutions. I’ve never really liked them. I have a slight cringe when I see them pushed at this time of year. I see too many start something and then hit a snag and then forget about it until the next year comes and then try again on January 1st. It sets some up with a failure mentality. It’s also very black and white and I am not a black and white kind of person. At least in most things. Don’t get me wrong, I am very goal oriented. I set goals all year long, both small and large. Last year I took on just accepting the word growth. While it was meant for my word of the year, it’s taken on more a word for my life.
Growth is so much more than goals though. It’s stepping out in faith, pushing through fears. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is not that they don’t have fear. It’s that they push through it despite having it and with sheer grit and determination they make it, even if it’s by the skin of their teeth. And success is not always in regard to careers. It can be simply… life and living it, overcoming obstacles as they come. They embrace the saying, “use what they enemy meant for evil and turn it into good”.
This past year I came into it already working on a goal of becoming a Certified Autism Specialist. I attained that goal early in the year. Meeting that goal ignited a fire in me to consume more knowledge. This year, due to some surgeries I had a physical set back and running/races took a backseat. I could have gotten down on myself because of that. But I didn’t. Instead I used my new-found time for growing in more areas. I read lots of books. I went to more trainings/conferences/seminars. I did a lot of research. I prayed more. I journaled more. These all ignited more goals. Aha moments happened. Sometimes they came like a bolt of lightning. One of those was a new business. A business that would focus on working with businesses/organizations on employing and training a more neuro-diverse population. The name of it came the same day while I was trying to take a nap. More ideas came. This business would incorporate the program that I had set out to do when I got my CAS. It would offer counseling, coaching, social skills groups, training and seminars, adding on to the concept of consulting with businesses. It wouldn’t just be for those on the spectrum, but it would specialize in it. In all this I got another goal when I realized I need more business knowledge and I need a push to consume it. So, I started an MBA program. Much of this I have done under the radar only telling those who needed to know at the time.
I soft launched Puzzle Collaborative earlier this month. It still has a lot of work to get off the ground since it is a big endeavor. The social skills groups will officially launch later this year with brand new curriculum that is set to come out at that time. The consulting and coaching are live. Counseling can begin now but on a self-pay rate until insurances can be paneled with. I will be hiring counselors to do the counseling through Puzzle Collaborative. While I continue to counsel in my private practice and bill under the insurances I am paneled with, those who are hired will only take self-pay for a time. All counselors, including myself will work with all needs but also those on the spectrum. I will offer training/seminars on a contract basis but will also offer free seminars through churches. Community engagement will be an important aspect of Puzzle Collaborative. I love this community and I want to give back in ways that I am capable. That will be a growth endeavor for years to come.
I’ve had mixed responses from others in these endeavors. I believe that’s to be expected and I don’t take it personally. Many have told me I am taking on a lot. It sounds like a lot. But if you know me well, you know I can do logistics and time management well. And my private practice is not a 40 hour-a-week job. I refuse to allow it to be. I prefer to diversify my time anyways, always have. I have my class/homework schedule lined out. Time set aside for Puzzle Collaborative and growing in that. And of course, my usual schedule for my private clients. And yes, still plenty of time for my family. You might be surprised how much time we waste in a given week online. Trust me, if you prioritize things as they should be, you can make the time for growth.
And on that, yes, I know life has a way of hitting snags. Setbacks are going to happen. Loved ones will pass away, a diagnosis or job loss might derail you, and kids will get sick. But remember what I said about taking what the enemy meant for evil and turning it into something good. All the above goals happened because of a diagnosis. This domino effect would never have happened had I not had a daughter diagnosed with autism. And going back even further than that…almost 10 years actually, I lost a job when we lost a contract. My private practice started when I was pregnant with Heston and not able to find a full-time job as a therapist. It was done out of pure fear and need. And it’s grown to what it is today, which I am very pleased with. So, if you have goals, but fear stands in the way. I challenge you to push through that fear. Stand up to it. It will paralyze you if you let it. Or you can use it.
If your goals are simply to grow and learn, there is so much out there to learn. We have lost the art of challenging ourselves by simply reading and researching. Don’t like to read, try audible books. Did you know you can listen to books on the road or in bed in the dark? It’s like killing two birds with one stone. You’re multitasking! Give it a try. Podcasts and TedTalks can also be interesting growth opportunities. So, challenge yourself right now. It doesn’t have to be a start to a new year to grow. And if you’re in the midst of a really challenging time in your life, ask yourself what’s a way you can turn it into something positive? I’ve seen criminal acts ignite acts of love, lost loved ones turn into helping those with grief, harm to the vulnerable turn individuals into advocates, and health and cancer diagnosis’ turn into faith fires. There is no shortage of good in this world. You just have to know how to see it past the evil. Never stop growing!
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